Share

More Than Maps: Google iOS Apps Offer Compelling Features

Fissure type volcanic eruption between Myrdalsjokull and Eyjafjallajokull glaciers in Iceland just a few weeks before the larger eruption that occurred in April of 2010.*Photo: Narisa / Flickr *

Last night's GeekDad front page as viewed through iPhone versions of Chrome (left) and Safari (right).

Since the move to iOS6 and the botched rollout of Apple Maps, iPhone owners have been looking back fondly at life with Google. Many users intend to switch back if and when a rumored Google Maps app ever shows up in the App Store, but if Google can deliver superior maps, why not consider them for your phone's other functions? As an experiment, I've spent the past several weeks relying completely on Chrome and Gmail iOS apps rather than the built-in Safari and Mail.

After five years of iPhone use, I'd grown accustomed to how those basic functions of the phone worked, and the difference with Google apps was surprising. Today, I'll run down some of the unexpected pros and cons to help you decide whether you need a bit more Google in your Apple.

Chrome

At face value, Chrome and Safari don't appear to be wildly different from each other. The former has navigation up top while the latter has it on the bottom, but Chrome does offer a few improvements. The most immediately noticeable is Chrome's UI, which allows you to grab and slide the edge of the iPhone's screen to quickly switch tabs. The grab-and-slide seems perfectly calibrated as I never once accidentally switched tabs, yet also never had trouble activating the feature.

Digging into Chrome's menu reveals a treasure trove of additional features. First off is "request desktop site" mode, which solves a prominent pet peeve of mobile browser users. No more fishing around for those tiny annoying "desktop mode" links hidden at the bottom of pages.

Another great Chrome feature is the sharing of bookmarks and open tabs across devices. Phones are great for quickly browsing social media, but aren't optimal devices for reading long-form journalism. The catch-22 is that social media tends to be a constant stream of shared reading material links. Safari added its "reading list" feature last year, but that still leaves you coming back to read a long article on your iPhone screen.

Opening your links from social media in Chrome is going to require the inconvenience of cut and paste, but you'll reap the benefits of reading on a large screen later. If you don't mind using a separate read-it-later service such as Instapapr or Readbility, those may be superior options, but Chrome comes on top in a direct comparison to Safari.

The last great feature of Chrome is the incognito browsing mode. You may or may not have a use for this, but when the situation arises that you want to visit a few websites without leaving a trail, you'll appreciate the convenience of not having to clear out your history and cookies.

There are downsides to the Safari-to-Chome switch, though. For one, phone numbers won't be automatically linked to your phone app, so no more instant calling. Most of us barely use our phones as actual phones anymore (I use less than an hour each month), but that last remaining bit of voice chat does tend to be quick convenience calls to business you just looked up.

Chrome also has some issues with iterating on search terms. Since there is only one field for both searching and URLs, Chrome replaces your search terms with the URL as soon as you hit go. The Google page itself has its own search box, with your search history included as a drop-down, but once you've moved on to browsing another page there is no easy way to hit the search bar and tweak a word or two.

Gmail

Two views of the Gmail iOS interface provided by Google in Gmail's App Store listing.

While Chrome and Safari may have seemed similar at face value, Gmail and Mail aren't even close. Right off the bat, Gmail is simply easier to use due to its superior view for threaded email conversations. Search is much faster as well, as it hits your entire archive in one shot, not just your 50 most recent messages.

There are both pros and cons with emailing photos, but ultimately Gmail does have an edge. The inconvenience is that the share-by-mail button in iOS's Photos app won't work if you don't have an email address active in Apple's Mail app. However, composing a new message in Gmail allows you to attach as many photos as you want, so it's more a matter of re-training yourself where to go when you want to email some pictures.

It's also nice to see that Google's iOS apps play nicely together. The most common downside to switching from Apple to Google apps is that the integration with other iOS apps can break down, but Gmail supports opening links in Chrome by default.

The only real downside to Gmail is its performance with low signal. When a push notification of a new email comes through, the message doesn't automatically download in the background. The download triggers when you next bring up the Gmail app, which can cause delays in low-signal areas, or even worse, hold your messages hostage if you happen to have no signal.

In switching my iPhone over to Chrome and Gmail, I moved both apps right into the bottom row of icons and stashed Mail and Safari in a folder hidden back on page six. It's safe to say that they'll be staying there, as after a few weeks of using both Google apps, I've grown pretty comfortable with the bevy of new features they've offered me.

Apple may have a reputation as the company that can do no wrong, but they've had no shortage of recent stumbles given the bug-ridden Maps, a poorly-received iTunes Match service, and their admission of failure with music social network Ping. These days, it's worth exploring your options. Sometimes, a company can come along and beat Apple at its own game, even on its own hardware.